“When did she say that?”
“After she bumped into the three of you at the store. You shouldn’t have spoken to my mother, Kimberly. It’s set her off.”
“I didn’t mean to make her angry. I just don’t understand where that money went. I didn’t have anything to do with it.”
“Where were you the day it happened?”
“Hum, sheriff, I thought she just pulled the lawyer card.”
“And so she did, but it’s not like she’s been arrested, yet. I’m not about to rush to judgment even though it points at her right now.” He sighed. “I know you’re trying to clear her name, but be more cautious next time, would you?”
“So you want us to butt out, but yet continue to clear Kimberly’s name? I’m sorry, but I’m confused,” Agnes said.
“I am, too,” Barry said with a smile. “My mother told me if that money isn’t found that she’ll have to move in with me.”
Agnes smiled. “I feel your pain, but for some reason I think your mother is pulling that leg of yours. Many seniors are pretty tight with their money and very slick about hiding it away. She might have a private stash.”
“Whoever stole that money went to great pains to frame me,” Kimberly said.
“And someone who knew the details about my mother and knew who was handling her finances.”
Chapter 12
Agnes, Eleanor, and Kimberly left the sheriff’s department, taking a stroll near the beach. Corrine was standing on the beach, framing her face from the sun.
“Hello, Corrine,” Kimberly said.
Corrine turned at their approach. “I’m so sorry about what you’re going through, Kimberly,” Corrine said. “Can you believe Clive is out there with a jet ski?”
They waved at Clive and he went one place while his jet ski went the other, flipping to sink beneath the waves. Fortunately, the jet ski went safety to shore and Clive swam until it was shallow enough to walk to meet them.
“Kimberly, you’re looking rather lovely for a woman accused of a theft.” Clive grinned.
“What can I say? The criminal life agrees with me.”
“Well, you can laugh about it, now at least,” Corrine remarked.
“How much of an inconvenience has it been for you both having a spokesmodel accused of a crime?” Agnes asked.
“It’s not the first time.” Corrine laughed. “Seriously, though, things have a way of happening and resolving themselves. We bumped into Jeremy at the local watering hole. He was looking for you, Kimberly.”
“I hardly think he expected to see me there,” Kimberly said. “And he shouldn’t be there, either.”
“I wouldn’t bust a gasket,” Clive said. “I believe he was with an Andrew Hart.”
“My Andrew?” Agnes asked. “Why would he be there?”
“Two lawyers are better than one … or is it that none are better than one?” Clive grinned.
“We better try and catch up to them, then,” Kimberly insisted.
“You’re in good hands, Kimberly. We believe your name will be cleared soon,” Corrine said, giving her a hug.
They drove past the pub, but neither Jeremy’s car nor Andrew’s was there, but what would Andrew be driving when Agnes had the LX?
“Look, Agnes,” Eleanor said. “It looks like Andrew brought my Cadillac.”
“I’m surprised it made it this far.”
“Of course it did, it’s a Cadillac!”
They parked and Kimberly headed into the bar first with Eleanor and Agnes struggling to catch up with her. Agnes knew Jeremy had a drinking problem in his teen years, but hadn’t had a drop of alcohol since then. Why would Kimberly be worried that he was drinking now?
It took a few minutes before Agnes’ eyes adjusted to the darkened light inside. Andrew and Jeremy weren’t seated at the bar, but they were playing a game of pool, with money on the table, no less!
“I believe that sign on the wall says no gambling,” Agnes said with a sly smile.
“We’re not. It’s the quarters for our games.” Andrew winked.
Andrew took his shot and when he missed the eight ball, he came over and gave Agnes a big kiss and hug.
Eleanor cleared her throat and Agnes shot her a look. “What?”
“Where is my Mr. Wilson?” Eleanor demanded.
“He’s staying at the cabin that Kimberly’s parents own,” Jeremy said, moving in to give Kimberly a hug. She cried into his shoulder and Agnes, Eleanor, and Andrew moved away to a table so they’d have a little privacy.
“So, how’s the case going so far?” Andrew asked.
“Not all that well. The woman we planned to question was dead when we arrived.”
Andrew grimaced. “That’s no surprise with most of your cases.”
“We seem to be at a dead end, but we need to keep at it.”
“How is Kimberly holding up?”
“She’s doing fine. I think she’s overwhelmed, though, or it could be seeing Jeremy finally. I’m not happy that his case was a mistrial, but Kimberly really needs him now.”
“I can imagine. Have you spoken to Mrs. Barry yet?”
“Yes, she’s not happy that fifty thousand dollars was stolen. I think it hurts even more that Kimberly seems to be to blame.”
“So no other suspects?”
“Not now. The woman’s boyfriend hasn’t even given the sheriff an alibi to check up on.”
“We spent time in a holding cell,” Eleanor said with a grin.
When Andrew’s brow furrowed, Agnes added, “The sheriff was trying to prove to us that we should butt out of the case, but then he seemed helpful. That man confuses me.”
“I imagine he wants to believe Kimberly didn’t do this, too.”
“Of course. She’s a nice, sweet girl.”
“Tell him about the woman on the camera at the bank,” Eleanor pressed.
“Yes, there was a woman who took all the money out who looked just like Kimberly.”
“Except she had sunglasses on and sky high heels that Kimberly no longer wears,” Eleanor added.
“So much for me explaining things to Andrew.”
“But you didn’t even tell him everything. I was just trying to help.”
“What do you make of the recording at the bank?” Andrew asked.
“It’s an imposter,” Eleanor insisted.
Kimberly and Jeremy walked over. “I’m sorry ladies. Things are just catching up to me,” Kimberly said.
“Nothing that picking up the baby won’t solve,” Jeremy said.
“But who will look after Abigail while I investigate with Agnes and Eleanor?”
“You don’t need to be involved with that.”
“You expect me to just sit on pins and needles waiting for the sheriff to show up and place me under arrest?”
“No, but I don’t want you to put yourself into danger.”
“Like I do?” Andrew exclaimed.
“Kimberly is pregnant.”
“I was pregnant the last time I worked on a case with Agnes and Eleanor. And I was much further along than I am now.”
Jeremy scratched his head. “And I can’t talk you out of it?”
Kimberly didn’t have to answer that question since it was quite obvious that she wouldn’t be swayed. “Where are we going next, Agnes?”
“Picking up your baby like Jeremy said. Eleanor hasn’t even seen the baby yet.”
“Or held her, either. Don’t forget holding her,” Eleanor said.
“What are we standing around here for, then?” Andrew asked.
Kimberly, Agnes, and Eleanor hopped into the Cadillac, leaving Jeremy and Andrew to follow them in the SUV.
They walked in the door of the chalet and Abigail was on a blanket on the floor, scooting. “Oh, look, she’s trying to crawl,” Agnes said.
“She’s just scooting,” Eleanor insisted. “Some babies go from scooting to walking.”
“I know that, Eleanor, but perhaps we should put a small wager on
it.”
“You’re going to bet if the baby crawls or not?” Kimberly asked in shock.
“I’m in for five dollars,” Jeremy said. “Crawling.”
Kimberly shook her head at her husband. “Really, Jeremy?”
“It’s all in fun,” Agnes said.
Bethany laughed and grabbed a pen and paper. She wrote down her name and guess. “I choose scooting,” she said.
Kimberly threw up her arms and picked up Abigail, kissing her cheek. “I missed you so much.”
“We’re here to pick up the baby,” Jeremy said to Bethany.
“Oh, but who will be watching your baby while Kimberly investigates?”
“I can, but the bird sisters make good babysitters, too,” Jeremy said.
“The sisters with that foul-mouthed bird?” Eleanor asked.
“Yes, Birdie likes babies and watches his mouth when they’re babysitting,” Kimberly explained.
“May I?” Eleanor asked Kimberly.
Kimberly handed Eleanor the baby and Eleanor kissed Abigail softly on the cheek. “Hello, my sweet baby. You can be my surrogate granddaughter since I don’t have any that I know of.”
“Don’t you have a son?” Kimberly asked.
“I do, but he doesn’t speak to me. He even put me in a nursing home once. If it hadn’t been for Agnes, I’d never have gotten out of there.”
“That must have been quite the legal process,” Jeremy said.
“It was, but I was able to establish my independence.”
“I’m shocked my children haven’t tried that before,” Agnes said.
“Or your husband.” Andrew winked.
“Seriously, I’d like to see you try.”
“I was only kidding.”
Eleanor carried the baby over to the rocking chair and rocked her. The baby didn’t seem to mind. She even smiled up at Eleanor.
“I’ll pack up the diaper bag,” Kimberly announced.
“I’ll help,” Jeremy insisted.
Bethany chuckled when the bedroom door closed behind the couple. “I imagine those two have some reacquainting to do.”
Betsie walked into the room, wiping her hands on a dish cloth. “Hello, there, which one of you is married to this silver-haired fox?”
“That would be me,” Eleanor said. “But I’ve been told he’s at Bethany’s cabin.”
Agnes shook her head. “I’ll be happy to claim my husband.”
“You ladies should meet me at the cabin. Who knows what kind of mischief my husband and Eleanor’s Mr. Wilson might be up to,” Bethany said.
“No good if it’s Mr. Wilson,” Agnes said.
Eleanor narrowed her eyes. “What’s up with all the Mr. Wilson-bashing today, Agnes?”
“I was merely kidding.”
“Well, you wouldn’t like it if I told you that you have a bloodsucker for a husband,” Eleanor insisted. “That’s what they call lawyers,” she went on to explain.
“I know the term well.” Andrew laughed.
* * *
Agnes, Andrew, Eleanor, and Bethany walked into the cabin, which had a pine lodge sofa and matching chair with an outdoorsy feel, including the wildlife scene on the upholstery. They continued into the kitchen where a rustic walnut table sat with each chair that had a cutout of a pine tree in the back.
Agnes breathed deeply of the knotty pine with a giddy smile. “This is so wonderful.”
“We just had it renovated. Wait until you see the bedrooms,” Bethany said.
“I’d like to see if my Mr. Wilson is outside,” Eleanor said.
The women walked outside where Hal and Mr. Wilson were sitting with the bird sisters! “What’s going on here, Mr. Wilson?” Eleanor demanded to know.
“We’re relaxing, what does it look like?”
“And we decided to join them,” Mrs. Peacock said.
Eleanor smiled. “I was just kidding.”
“How is the case going?” Mrs. Canary asked.
“It’s going,” Agnes said. “Jeremy’s home now and Kimberly picked up Abigail and they’re heading home.”
“That’s wonderful,” Mrs. Peacock said. “Kimberly needs Jeremy at a time like this.”
“I heard some talk that you ladies might be asked to babysit soon.”
“That would be so great, wouldn’t it, sister?” Mrs. Canary said. “Abigail is such a good baby.”
“She’s adorable to boot,” Eleanor said. “I just hope we can solve this case soon so Kimberly can relax.”
“That girl never relaxes, not with all the modeling she does for that perfume line,” Mrs. Peacock said.
“Don’t forget the maternity clothing line that Clive is having designed. It should be ready by the time Kimberly needs it,” Mrs. Canary added.
“How do you know so much about what Kimberly is doing?” Bethany asked.
“Kimberly is a good friend of ours,” Mrs. Peacock said. “And we don’t make half-bad babysitters.”
Hal eased back on his chair. “I think a barbecue is on the horizon. That is, if you like hotdogs.”
“Love them,” Agnes said.
Hal opened the gas grill and turned on the gas, and with a multi purpose lighter he lit it with a whoosh!
Eleanor held a hand against her chest. “Oh, my. I thought you were going to blow yourself up.”
“I imagine that automatic ignition doesn’t work on the grill,” Andrew said, as he joined them on the deck.
“You have that right,” Hal said. “How did you know?”
“Good guess. We have one like that at home, too.” He laughed. “But now we have a fire pit and do most of our cooking with wood heat.”
Hal’s eyes widened. “Like a campfire?”
“No, it’s made of brick. We have a few good ol’ boys at home who like to help out.”
“They belong to the Michigan Militia,” Eleanor explained. “Handy kind of boys to know when you need help.”
“I bet. I’d love one of those, but it doesn’t exactly scream cabin.” He laughed.
“Men, they carry on about the strangest things sometimes,” Bethany said with a shake of her head.
“It’s better than listening to you talk about what you bought on sale,” Hal shot back.
“Are we barbecuing or not, Hal?”
“Let’s go inside, Andrew. I think there are hotdogs in the refrigerator and possibly a can of pork and beans.” When Andrew laughed, Hal added, “I might even have a few beers.”
“Now you’re talking.”
Andrew and Hal went inside as Agnes and Eleanor stared at Mr. Wilson, who had his lower lip sucked in. “Where are your teeth?” Eleanor asked.
“Soaking. How was I to know these ladies would pop in?” He pushed himself up and rolled his walker inside.
Eleanor frowned. “I didn’t mean he had to put them in, now. I better make this right.”
She hurried inside and Agnes and Bethany took a seat.
“I’m actually glad that Kimberly picked up Abigail today,” Bethany said. “I hated to admit that it was more work than I remembered.”
“Sometimes I wonder how I ever did it,” Agnes said.
Hal and Andrew came back outside and Hal took charge of putting the hotdogs on the grill while Andrew used a hand can opener to wrench open the top of the beans with a grimace. “I don’t remember these openers being so hard to use,” Andrew said.
“We should probably head home now,” Mrs. Peacock announced. “If you need any help, Agnes, just let us know.”
The bird sisters went back home and sat on their own deck that was right next door. And before long Birdie was brought out of the house and blabbering about something Agnes couldn’t hear.
“Confound it, woman, would you leave me alone. I swear I should have stayed in Tawas and let Andrew come here alone,” Mr. Wilson said, as he walked outside with Eleanor.
“I didn’t mean to say—”
“Save it, would you. I’m over it already.”
Bethany scooted ov
er on the picnic table to allow Mr. Wilson room to sit. “Have you decided where you’ll be staying while you’re in town, Andrew and Mr. Wilson?”
“We have one open bedroom here,” Hal suggested.
“I suppose we could stay with our daughter,” Bethany said. “She has a sofa bed.”
Hal gave her a look. “That’s the last thing our daughter wants, you hovering all over her and Abigail.”
“Eleanor and I have been staying at Kimberly’s house,” Agnes said.
“There’s no sense in doing that. We’ll head back to the chalet and stay with Betsie,” Hal said. “That way you couples can stay here. It will be like a little vacation except that Agnes and Eleanor are clearing Kimberly’s name.”
“Trying to,” Agnes clarified.
Black smoke and flames shot off the grill. “I think you have the grill up too high again, Hal,” Bethany said.
Hal gave her a cockeyed grin. “How else am I going to burn the hotdogs?”
Bethany wrinkled her face. “Who wants burnt hotdogs?”
“Anyone here like burnt hotdogs?” Hal asked.
Agnes, Eleanor, and Andrew all raised their hands.
“See, what did I tell you, dear?”
“Sometime I wonder why I married you.”
“I’ll have to remind you later,” Hal said, as he blew a kiss to his wife.
Hal put the cooked hotdogs on the table and Agnes smiled to herself, but only on the inside since Bethany raised her brow as she stared at Hal’s finished product.
“What will you be doing while Eleanor and I are investigating, Andrew?” Agnes asked.
“I thought I’d help Jeremy prepare for the retrial of his client.”
“So, they plan to do a retrial?”
“For a murder trial, I’d say yes.”
“That leaves Mr. Wilson to do what?”
“I’ll be picking him up at five in the morning,” Hal said. “We’re going fishing.”
“That sounds fun. I might come along with you for a while,” Andrew said.
“Oh, since when do you fish?” Agnes asked.
“He does plenty of things while you girls are off investigating,” Mr. Wilson informed them.
“Like watching the weather channel,” Eleanor remarked.
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